This invention relates to a remote controller, and more particularly to a remote controller of a device for adjusting the angle at which the headlight beams from a motor vehicle are directed down onto the road surface, from within the vehicle.
As is well known the light beams emitted from the headlights of a motor vehicle will vary in response to the longitudinal inclination of the vehicle owing to a change in the weight distribution, such as owing to the passenger getting on or off the vehicle and/or owing to the addition or removal of a relatively large amounts of load or weight. If the light beams are varied and can not be directed properly, the blinding of the driver of an oncoming motor vehicle may occur or the proper front view may not be secured.
Thus a various kinds of devices have been proposed which control the angle at which the light beams are directed at the surface of the road.
One device proposed for controlling the above mentioned angle involves the headlights mounted on frames hingedly or pivotably mounted at the front of a motor vehicle and controls the beam angle by moving the headlight mounting frames via the use of a plurality of control wires from a remote controller installed within the reach of a driver.
Explaining this headlight beam angle adjusting device in connection with FIG. 1, the remote controller R, installed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle at the instrument panel or dash panel I and provided with a manually operable knob K, is connected to one terminal of a control wire W and pulls or pushes the control wire W in response to rotation in one direction or rotation in the opposite direction of the knob K, thereby to rotate a link, in the form of a two-arms lever L, rotatably mounted at the front bulk head of the vehicle. This rotation in one or the opposite direction of the lever L will pull or push two wires W' leading respectively to headlight mounting frames H.L, so as to move the headlight mounting frames H.L around their respective hinges to adjust them angularily, thereby to adjust the headlight beam angles of the headlights, not shown, mounted to the headlight mounting frames H.L. Each headlight mounting frame H.L is urged by means of a return springs S.S forwardly against a stopper S.
The remote controller R used in the adjusting device employs a slide member to which the one terminal of the control wire W is fixedly connected and a shaft which is rotatable by the knob K. The slide member is formed with a blind bore to receive the shaft and threads are formed in the bore and the shaft which are selected so that clockwise rotation of the knob K will urge the slide member either away from or toward same depending on ergonomical considerations (i.E. the location and the ease of use in that position). Counterclockwise rotation of the knob K will urge the slide member in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the slide member due to the clockwise rotation of the knob K.
Since, in the construction as described above, the shaft threadedly engaged in the blind bore of the slide member is allowed to rotate relative to the slide member until the leading end of the shaft abuttingly engages the blind end of the bore, a driver has to sense with his fingers a slight increase in manipulation effort to turn the knob K so as to confirm the condition that the slide member has come to one of its limiting positions between which the longitudinal sliding movement of the slide member is permitted.
The problem encountered in the remote controller as described above is that since an increase in manipulation effort to turn the knob when the slide member has come to one limiting position thereof is gradual, a driver is likely to turn the knob in the same rotational direction excessively so that the subsequent return rotation of the knob might not be carried out with little manipulation effort on the part of the driver.